The Palm Pre just got another little update to its webOS operating system. webOS 1.0.4 fixes a number of security problems and bugs in the OS, but has the unfortunate side-effect of stopping homebrew developers from installing their apps.
The Palm Pre homebrew scene looked like it was going to get off to a running start with the leak of the webOS SDK. Sadly, it looks like that scene may have been nipped in the bud by a security fix.
Ironically, Palm credits homebrew coder Townsend Ladd Harris with pointing them at one of teh security holes that webOS 1.0.4 patches. The method that bedroom coders have been using to sneak their apps onto the Palm Pre explots a bug in the email app. The OS update plugs the hole, but now there is no way of getting unsigned code onto the Pre.
Fixing the bug was important, of course. The installation method could easily have been exploited by unscrupulous coders to quietly install malware on the Palm Pre by sending it in an email to unsuspecting users. Still, it does seem a shame to lock out homebrew developers so soon. Here’s hoping that Palm will see the light and provide amateur developers with a way to install code soon.
